Stalk-cutting attachment for vehicles.



N6. 887,641. PATBNTED MAY'12, 1908. R. B. HUMAN.

STALK CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

APILIOATION FILED JAN. 21, 190B.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEYS ROBERT B. HUMAN, O1 OHICKASHA, OKLAHOMA.

STALK-CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

Application filed January 21, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT B. HUMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chickasha, in the county of Grady and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stalk-Cutting Attachments for Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a stalk cutting attachment for vehicles, complete in itself, and which can be conveniently and expeditiously applied to the forward or rear axles of an ordinary farm wagon, or to a similar vehicle, and to provide means for raising and lowering the cutter, and also means for counteracting the rebound of the cutter when in use, thus preventing severe injury to the blades of the cutter should it meet with an obstruction in its path.

The invention consists in the novel construction and eombinatimi of the several parts as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate correspoinling parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the forward axle of a farm wagon, and a similar section through the attached device, the latter section being taken near the central portion of the device; Fig. 2 is a detail horizontal section taken practically on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an axle, its accompanying sand bolster, and the attached device.

A represents the tongue or pole of an ordinary farm wagon, B the forward axle, and C the sand bolster, having the customary space 10 between them formed by the passage of the hounds. Bars or straps 11 are located .in engagement with the front face of the axle and the sand bolster, one at each side of the center, the said bars being vertical and extending from the top of the sand bolster to the bottom of the axle, as is best shown in Fig. 3, and each bar or strap 1]. terminates at its lower end in an eye 12. These straps or bars 11 are removably held iii-position by means of bolts 13 that are passed through them and through the aforesaid space 10 into stay plates engaging with the rear faces of the said axle and sand bolster, as is shown in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Serial No. 411,901.

Figs. 2 and 3. These stay plates 14 may be temporarily secured to the axle and sand bolster by screws, if desired, but such attachment is not absolutely necessary. The upper or horizontal member 15 of a yoke l) is made to turn freely in the aforesaid eyes 12, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and the downwardly extending or side members 16 of this yoke l) have their lower portions 17 flattened and the aforesaid flattened portions of the yoke are provided with a longitudinal series of suitably spaced apertures 18. This yoke I) is adapted to carry the cutter 1C employed, which cutter may be of any approved construction. That shown in the drawings consists of opposing stellated heads 19 and plates 20 that extend from head to head, being secured to opposing points on the heads by means of bolts 20, or their equivalents, as is particularly shown in Fig. 3.

A keeper 21 is located at the outer side face of each head 19, and each of said keepers consists of a plate whieh at one end is loosely secured to the central portions of the heads 19 by bolts 22, and at the opposite end of each plate of the keepe' 21, an inwardly extending flange 21) is formed, that spaces the body of the keepers from the opposing faces of the heads 19, forming thereby sockets for the reception of the flattened portions of the aforesaid yoke l). The cutter lC is revoluble in said yoke. The cutter E may be adjusted on the yoke .l) as may be required by the height of the wheels of the vehicle, and held in such adjustment by passing pins 24 or the like through suitable openings in the keeper into one or the other of the apertures 18 in the yoke. The cutter is adjusted so as to cut deep or shallow by means of a hand lever F, associated with a rack G. This hand lever is preferably made in sections, as is illustrated in Fig. 3, consisting of a. lower section 25 that extends up from about the central portion of the upper member 15 of the yoke, and the member 25 of the lever is entered between the lower portion of opposing plates 20 and 26 and is secured to said plates by suitable bolts L7. The upper or handle member 2 of the said lever extends down between the upper portions of the aforesaid plates 20 and 26 and is held fast to said plates by means of suitable bolts 29, and these plates 26 and 26 are provided with registering longitudinal slots 30, through which the foot member 31 of a thumb latch 32 extends, which thumb latch is operated in the customary manner. The rack G consists of a forward downwardly curved or arched section 33, which is flat and provided at its upper edge with a series of teeth 34, the foot section 31 of the thumb latch being adapted to enter the spaces between the said teeth. In the further formation of the rack G, a rear cylindrical section 35 is provided, having a thread 36 at its outer end. This rack is loosely passed through the space between the axle B and the sand bolster C, as is shown best in Fig. 1, and the forward portion of the cylindrical section of the latch is made to pass through a suitable opening in a plate 37 that engages with the rear faces of the axle l3 and the sand bolster C, and a spring 38 is coiled around the cylindrical portion or section of the said rack, having bearing against the said plate37 and against a tail nut and Washer 39 located on the threaded portion of the said rack, thus by tightening up the tail nut more or less, tension can be exerted upon the spring 38.

It may be here stated that the flat curved section 33 of the said rack G passes loosely between the plates 26 and 26 forming connecting links between the sections of the hand lever, and the plate 37 is removably held in position by means of a bolt alO that passes through the space 10 between the axle and the sand bolster C, which bolt is also passed through a stay plate 41 located at the front portion of the said axle and the said sand bolster, as is shown in Fig. 3.

It will be observed that by moving the hand lever F forwardly or rearwardly, the cutter E can be raised and lowered by reason of the connection of said lever with the said yoke D, and it is furthermore obvious that the rack G is unattached, being free for end movement, controlled in its forward movement by the spring 38, thus should the cutter engage with an obstruction such as would be likely to injure it, the rack will be drawn forwardly, placing the spring 38 under tension, and the said spring will take up the rebound of the cutter and thus prevent it from being injured, the cutter returning to normal position when the obstruction is passed.

This attachment is very simple, comprising comparatively few p arts, and it is evident that it can be quickly and conveniently applied to or disengaged from the forward or rear running gear of any farm wagon or like vehicle.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A stalk cutting attachment for vehicles, consisting of bearings, means for connecting the same to a vehicle, a carrier for a cutter mounted in said bearings, a lever connected with the carrier, a sliding rack for the lever, and means for mounting said rack.

2. A stalk cutting attachment for vehicles, consisting of bearings, means for connecting the same to a vehicle, a carrier mounted to rock in said bearings, a cutter adjustably mounted in the carrier, a lever connected with the carrier, a sliding rack for the lever, and a mounting for said rack.

3. A stalk cutting attachment for vehicles, consisting of bearings, means for connecting the same to vehicle, a yoke mounted in said bearings, a rotatable cutter, means for adjust- .ably securing said cutter to said yoke, a lever controlling the movements of the yoke, a tension controlled slidable rack for the lever, and a mounting for therack.

at. In vehicle attachments of the class described, a cutter carrier mounted for swinging movement, an operating lever having an opening therein and secured to the carrier, and a sliding, tension-controlled rack for the lever, said rack projecting through the opening of the lever.

5. In vehicle attachments of the class described, the combination with the vehicle, supports carried thereby, and a removable carrying member mounted to rock upon the supports, and extending down therefrom, of

a lever for operating the said carrier, and a tension controlled rack for the lever, mounted to slide in said supports on the vehicle, and removable therefrom.

6. In a vehicle attachment, the combination with the axle and sand bolster of a vehicle, of bearings secured to the axle and bolster, a yoke mounted to swing in the bearings, a cutter mounted in the yoke, a lever secured to the yoke and having an opening therein, a thumb latch on the lever, a rack projecting through the opening of the lever and having guided sliding movement between the axle and bolster, a spring on the rack, and means for adjusting the tension of the spring.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- ROBERT B. HUMAN.

Vitnesses JOHN H. HARTMANN, WILL. BORDEN. 

